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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND 
DOMESTIC COMMERCE 



AIDING EXPORT TRADE 



IN: 



SHOES AND LEATHER 
MANUFACTURES 




SHOE AND LEATHER MANUFACTURES 
DIVISION 



WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1922 



J LimWY OF CONGRESS 
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| APR 291922 

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► SHOE AND LEATHER MANUFACTURES 
DIVISION. 

2^ The world-wide export field is once more open 
^to manufacturers, and the Shoe and Leather 
Manufactures Division recently created by Sec- 
retary Hoover stands ready to disseminate to 
those interested in the boot and shoe and allied 
leather manufactured goods industries authentic 
trade information gathered from all parts of the 
world by American Consuls, Commercial At- 
taches', Trade Commissioners, and other Govern- 
ment representatives. 

Economic Importance of the Industry. 

The shoe and leather manufactures industries 
can look back upon their record with ju3t pride. 
The importance of these industries in the eco- 
nomic life of the United States is manifested by 
the immense production of the country, as is 
shown by the 1919 Census of Manufactures. 

Capital Invested — Employment. 

According to the preliminary figures for the 
1919 Census of Manufactures, the capital invested 
in the various manufacturing enterprises in the 
United States amounted to §44,985,958,000. Of 
this sum $882,695,000 was credited to the leather 
manufactures industries, comprising boots, shoes, 
and slippers, exclusive of rubber; cut stock and 
findings; harness and saddlery ; leather gloves and 
mittens; pocketbooks; trunks, traveling bags, 
and valises; and leather goods, other than speci- 
fied. 

The boot and shoe and the allied industries 
gave employment to 277,558 of the total number 
of wage earners (9,103,200) employed in the 
United States in 1919 (211,000 of these were in 
the boot and shoe industry), and contributed 
$1,681,882,000 to the total value ($62,840,202,000) 
of all the manufactured goods. 

Among the approximately 350 classified indus- 
tries, according to the value of products, the boot 
and shoe industry ranks fourteenth. 

97328°— 22 1 



2 SHOE AND LEATHER MANUFACTURES. 

Production. 

Based on the value of products, the rank and 
percentage of the various branches within the in- 
dustry are as follows: 



Industry. 


Rank. 


Per 
cent. 


Boots and shoes (including slippers) 

Cut stock and findings 


1 
2 
3 

4 
5 
6 

7 
8 


68.7 
13.4 


Harness and saddlery 


4.9 


Trunks, traveling bags, and valises 

Leather goods, other than mentioned 


3.8 
3.2 

2.8 


Belting 


2.4 


Pocketbooks 


.8 







Boot and shoe factories are operated from Maine 
to California, but the heart of the industry 
centers in New England, which geographic ter- 
ritory, comprising Maine, New Hampshire, Ver- 
mont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode 
Island, contributed $588,380,400 of the $1,155,- 
041,436 reported as the value of the boots, shoes, 
and slippers produced in the United States in 
1919. The total output, in number of pairs, 
was as follows: 

Boots and shoes: Pairs. 

Men's 95,017,356 

Women's 104, 812, 505 

Boys' and youths' 26, 503, 432 

Misses' and children's 48, 538, 203 

Not segregated 47, 238, 157 

Slippers 8, 494, 321 

Total 330, 593, 974 

Export Trade — Information Available. 

Approximately 70 per cent of the boots and 
shoes produced in American factories are con- 
sumed in this country. Markets must be found 
for the surplus remaining, as otherwise the de- 
mands of capital already invested in the industry 
can not be satisfied nor labor given the necessary 
hours and just reward of work. Shoe and leather 
manufactured goods are now exported to more 
than one hundred co tries of the world. The 



SHOE AND LEATHER MANUFACTURES. 3 

vital question with the manufacturers is to en- 
large this export trade, and it is the purpose and 
earnest endeavor of the Shoe and Leather Man- 
ufactures Division to aid these industries by 
placing at their disposal the vast fund of trade 
information gathered from all quarters of the 
globe through Government agencies. 

Functions of the Division. 

Personal touch with the centers of the indus- 
tries is maintained, and correspondence between 
the various manufacturers' associations and trade 
organizations is constantly carried on. The Na- 
tional Boot and Shoe Manufacturers' Association, 
the New England Shoe and Leather Association, 
the National Leather Belting Manufacturers' 
Association, the Philadelphia Shoe Manufac- 
turers' Association, National Shoe Wholesalers' 
Association, New England Shoe Wholesalers' 
Association, and the St. Louis Boot and Shoe 
Manufacturers' Association are already actively 
cooperating through advisory committees. 

Monthly Reports on Trade Conditions. 

The Division is arranging with the secretaries 
of the National Boot and Shoe Manufacturers' 
Association, National Shoe Wholesalers' Associa- 
tion, National Shoe Retailers' Association, and 
the New England Shoe and Leather Associations 
for regular monthly reports of trade conditions 
and needs. 

Card Index a Valuable Adjunct. 

When a request is received for information 
concerning any country, it is only necessary to 
refer to the card index and find the name of the 
country desired. For example, under subdivi- 
sion "Boots and shoes" are cards showing ex- 
ports, imports, industry in general, factories, 
markets for, production, and also general sub- 
jects, such as competition, economic conditions, 
industrial activities, trade methods, transporta- 
tion, etc. If a request is received regarding an 
industry, everything at hand relating to that in- 
dustry in any part of the world will be found 



4 SHOE AND LEATHER MANUFACTURES. 

carded. The information so carded is obtained 
from trade journals published in America and 
various foreign countries, letters and reports 
from Commercial Attaches, Trade Commissioners, 
Consuls, and other foreign representatives of our 
Government. 

Import and Export Statistics. 

The important export statistics of each month 
are analyzed with a view to showing the trend 
of trade and also to enable merchants to know 
which countries are now demanding the class of 
gopds produced in their factories. These anal- 
yses are published in Commerce Reports, the 
weekly organ of the Bureau of Foreign and Do- 
mestic Commerce. Sample copies of Commerce 
Reports have been mailed by this Division to 
more than 6,000 firms and individuals interested 
in the shoe and leather and allied trades. 

Questionnaire on Trade Conditions. 

It is the intention of this Division to ascertain 
facts pertinent to foreign trade conditions in 
various countries through the use of question- 
naires requesting information regarding economic 
conditions, tariffs, freight rates, type of shoes 
manufactured in said countries, selling prices, 
exchange situation, and kinds of leather used in 
manufacture of the highest grade and also the 
cheapest grade of shoes, etc. 

Cooperation with Other Divisions. 

Through cooperation with the Division of For- 
eign Tariffs, Commercial Laws, and Commercial 
Intelligence there is made available to the in- 
dustry information concerning foreign tariffs and 
commercial laws, as well as commercial informa- 
tion regarding foreign firms and individuals in 
different parts of the world. 

Another important activity of the Bureau is the 
Exporter's Index, the value of which it is de- 
sired to bring to the attention of manufacturers 
and exporters of shoes and leather. This is a 
card index of American firms that have con- 
formed to certain conditions and are entitled to 



SHOE AND LEATHER MANUFACTURES. 5 

the special services rendered by the Bureau, 
such as confidential bulletins and circulars, the 
furnishing of names to foreign inquirers, and va- 
rious other services not available to those whose 
names are not included in this index. 

District and Cooperative Offices. 

Important aids to the development of foreign 
trade are the district and cooperative offices which 
have been established to expedite the distribu- 
tion of commercial information. These offices 
have on file confidential information regarding 
trade opportunities; lists of importers in foreign 
countries; trade directories, publications of the 
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, as 
well as publications of other branches of the 
Government. 

In addition to these data, valuable to American 
exporters, there are on file specifications, samples, 
and exhibits which may be inspected by inter- 
ested persons. 

Through the managers of these offices, confer- 
ences may be arranged between exporters and 
consular officers, commercial attaches, and trade 
commissioners when the latter visit the commer- 
cial centers during leave of absence in this 
country. 

Foreign Market Opportunity. 

The foreign market never afforded greater op- 
portunity for the introduction of American-made 
goods. The export figures of 1921 demonstrate 
that our home manufacturers concentrated upon 
supplying the domestic trade, and there are in- 
dications that this year an intensive foreign cam- 
paign will be undertaken, with the slogan 
"American-made boots, shoes, and other leather 
goods sold in every market in the world. " 

American shoe factories are capable of pro- 
ducing from 25 to 50 per cent more than at pres- 
ent, and this surplus product must find an outlet 
in foreign commerce, which is one of the bases of 
our industrial and commercial prosperity. Let 
the Shoe and Leather Manufacturers Division 
help you with this problem. 



DISTRICT OFFICES 

NEW YORK: 734 United States Customhouse 

NEW ENGLAND: 1801 Customhouse, Boston 

CHICAGO: 1424 First National Bank Building 

ST. LOUIS: 1209-1210 Liberty Central Trust Co. Building 

NEW ORLEANS: 214 Customhouse 

SAN FRANCISCO: 306 Customhouse 

SEATTLE: 515 Lowman Building 

MANILA, P. I. 

COOPERATIVE OFFICES 

AKRON, OHIO: Chamber of Commerce 
ATLANTA, GA.: Chamber of Commerce 
BALTIMORE, MD.: Export and Import Board of Trade 
BRIDGEPORT, CONN.: Manufacturers' Association 
CHATTANOOGA, TENN.: Foreign Trade Secretary, Southern 

Railway System 
CINCINNATI, OHIO: Chancer of Commerce 
CLEVELAND, OHIO: Chamber of Commerce 
COLUMBUS, OHIO: Chamber of Commerce 
DALLAS, TEX.: Chamber of Commerce 
DAYTON, OHIO: Dayton Chamber of Commerce 
EL PASO, TEX.: Chamber of Commerce 
INDIANAPOLIS, IND.: Chamber of Commerce 
LOS ANGELES, CALIF.: Chamber of Commerce 
MILWAUKEE, WIS.: Association of Commerce 
NEWARK, N. J. : Chamber of Commerce 
NORFOLK, VA.: Hampton Roads Maritime Exchange 
OMAHA, NEBR.: Chamber of Commerce 
PENSACOLA, FLA.: Chamber of Commerce 
PHILADELPHIA, PA.: Chamber of Commerce 
PITTSBURGH, PA.: Chamber of Commerce 
PORTLAND, OREG.: Chamber of Commerce 
RICHMOND, VA.: Chamber of Commerce 
ROCHESTER, N. Y.: Chamber of Commerce 
SYRACUSE, N. Y.: Chamber of Commerce 

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